My Next Steps by Pastor Jack Ward (popular books to read txt) 📕

QUESTIONS ABOUT BAPTISM
Q: When should I be baptized?
A: As soon as you have decided to receive Christ into your life, you can and should be baptized. There is no reason to delay.
Those who believed... were baptized... that day! -Acts 2:41
Then Philip began with the Scripture and told him the Good News about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water, and the man said, ‘Look, here is water! Why shouldn't I be baptized right now?’ Phillip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ The man answered, ’I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God.’ So they went down into the water and Philip baptized him. Acts 8:35-38
Q: Can I be baptized together with family and friends?
A: Yes! If each person fully understands the meaning of baptism, and each one has a personally placed his or her trust in Christ for salvation, we encourage families to be baptized at the same time.
However, it is important to remember that baptism is a personal statement of faith, not a family or group tradition.

It is usually not wise to delay your baptism while waiting on others to join you. This puts an undue pressure on them, and delays your obedience.
Q: What should I wear when I'm baptized?
A: Women should wear shorts and a top or a swimsuit. Men should wear shorts and a T-shirt or a swimsuit. Bring a change of clothes, a towel, and a plastic bag for your wet clothes.
Q: What would happen at my baptism?
A: at the beginning of the service, one of the pastors will briefly explain the meaning of baptism. You will wait for your turn to be baptized. The pastor will introduce you, briefly lower you just under the water, and then raise you back up. Once you've been baptized, you can dry off and watch the others. Later you will receive your baptism certificate. We encourage you to invite your relatives and friends to attend your baptism.
Visit myLakeHillsChurch.com to sign up for the next baptism, or you may sign up at church this weekend.

APPENDIX 3

HOW CAN I BE SURE OF GOD’S FORGIVENESS
Sometimes, after accepting Jesus into our lives, we begin to doubt whether His forgiveness really covers all our past mistakes. We wonder if Jesus dying on the cross was enough to truly cover every one of our sins. These doubts may surface because of the persistent sin, and personal crisis, or feeling of separation from God.
God wants us to have the full assurance that he loves us and that, because we have asked Jesus to be our Lord, he has forgiven us-completely. The doubts and uncertainties that creep up are not from God. When we face such questions, we must rely on his promises rather than our own judgment or emotions. In our own understanding, we are likely to minimize the significance of what God has done.
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His piece will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
To overcome doubts, spend some time meditating on the single most important fact about salvation. Here it is: salvation is a gift from God.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Ephesians 2:8, 9
God is so serious about saving us from our sins that he sent Jesus into this world as a sacrifice. God freely forgives us, and gives us purpose, when we confess our sins to him and asked his son to come into our lives as the leader and director.
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16, 17
When a new Christian questions whether or not he has experience true forgiveness, he needs to look back to his original decision to begin a relationship with Jesus. If he was serious about becoming a follower of Jesus and receiving forgiveness for his past mistakes, then God is just as serious about engaging in that relationship.
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father's hand.” John 10:27-29

Several issues common to our human nature could lead you to doubt whether or not you are truly a follower of Jesus. Here are some struggles that you may experience:
 Comparing your experience with someone else's experience
Sometimes, when we hear other people's stories about how they came to accept Jesus, would begin to question our own salvation experience. If our story is different, or if someone else seems closer to God than we feel, we may start to wonder, “Am I really a Christian?”Or “Why don't I have that kind of relationship with God?”
We are all uniquely crafted. God made us with different personalities and different ways of relating. You are an individual. You will never relate to God exactly like someone else-someone who has a different temperament and background of experiences-and you shouldn't want to. Thankfully, we can affirm and celebrate the dynamic ways God reveals himself to other people without allowing them to be negative reflections on our own experience and relationship with our father.
 Doubting God's love after a period of time
Understand that being a follower of Jesus does not mean that you will never again be tempted, or that you will never make another mistake. We are all
still human and we have to work at growing into fully-developing followers of Christ. Even when you stumble, God still loves you because you are his child. 1John 1:8-9 tells us how to deal with our times of failure:
If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. John 1:8, 9
Remember what we said earlier-becoming a follower of Jesus is both an event and a process. If we have sincerely asked for forgiveness for our sins and invited Jesus into our lives, we can trust that we are new, forgiven creatures in right relationship with God.
Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously. Isaiah 55:7
38

APPENDIX 4 - RESOURCES FOR FURTHER GROWTH BOOKS

The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby God’s Promises for You by Lucado So, You Want to be Like Christ by Chuck Swindoll
WEB SITES
BibleGateway.com – Read the Bible on line
myLakeHillsChurch.com – Messages & Resources
YouVersion.com – Online Bible Studies

APPENDIX 5

LAKE HILLS STATEMENT OF BELIEFS
Lake Hills Church does not require that Members subscribe to a formal creed. In a very real sense, “we have no creed but Christ, no book but the Bible.” The twin basis of our unity is our faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and our adherence to the Bible as the inspired text for our teaching. We seek a unity of understanding in the essentials of our faith, yet we do not suggest that we must agree on all things pertaining to our walk in Christ. On many issues we have the freedom to disagree. We do ask, however, that all who accept and hold a leadership or teaching position in the Church respect the following guidelines and resist any temptation to use their position as a forum from which to teach other views. Unity in the body depends upon harmony and mutual trust in the leadership.

Who is God?

The Bible teaches that God is Creator of our world and Sustainer of our lives.

What about Jesus?

Jesus Christ is the one and only living Son of God and our Savior. Through Him God opened the way of abundant and eternal life through His death, burial, and resurrection to all who call on Christ’s name.

Who is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is God himself encouraging, guiding, and transforming us in the way of Christ. The New Testament teaches the ministry of all believers, recognizing that the Holy Spirit gives various gifts to members of the body so that every member can make a contribution to the effective ministry of the entire church. We are, therefore, a Spirit-filled church seeking to do God’s will and to become more like His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Bible -

The Bible is the inspired written Word of God. It is the authoritative rule of faith and practice for Christians and the Church. Jesus instituted a new covenant with God that succeeded and transcended His former covenant with the People of Israel; hence, we accept the Old Testament as preparatory to the New, and we rejoice that we are related to God through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Baptism -

We practice baptism of the repentant believer by immersion in water. There is nothing magical in the water. However, we do believe it is such an important first act of obedience that we require it for membership. Jesus and the New Testament writers talk of its importance so much that we ask our people to show us and God that they are serious about their commitment. We do immersion baptism because that’s the way Jesus did it, the way the New Testament writers did it, and we are commanded to do it. Jesus told us in our Great Commission to “go and teach and make disciples and immerse” (Matt. 28:18 – literal Greek translation).
“We are therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Romans 6:4
“Having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.” Col. 2:12
“…and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also – not the removal of dirt from the body but the